Chaco

Well! I have not blogged in a long time, because life here is just usual life, therefore nothing too exciting has happened. However, unexpectedly, last weekend I ended up going on the trip to the Chaco in Paraguay. I was not planning on going considering it was one hundred dollars for the trip and I am saving up for other things. But, unfortunately my friend Alicia got Dengue, the none-preventable mosquito virus going around and she was unable to attend so she gave me her place.  With less than three hours to spare I got my things together to board the bus with my fellow AFSers and Peace Corps Volunteers.

It was a nine hour bus ride that took place during the evening. Therefore, we slept two hours and the rest of the time we had a mini rager :) 

Por fin!! We arrived! Finally, after nine hours and little sleep we arrived in the Northern part of Paraguay. We visited museum after museum. That was not the most exciting part of the trip...

 

There were some great flowers and butterflies which caught my attention more than the historic things.

 

They had amazing Dr. Seuss trees! 

 

My new friend from Japan! We were headed to the Chaco. We had to change busses in order to handle the dirt roads. There were not enough seats for everyone so it was fun to hear many of the inexperienced Peace Corps people wine about their issues with the bus, because they usually live in small cities where there are no city busses.

 

Our whole group in the Chaco. This was the area that the triple alliance war took place.

 

Lunch time was the usual MEAT!

 

Yummy...yummy...

  

This is a plant in the Chaco that has goo inside. In the Chaco there is little to no water, these plants adsorb water and turn it into a drinkable goo (that stuff seeping out of it), the soldiers used to drink this in order to survive.

 

Our awesome trees that were used as cooler environment during the heat and protection.

 

This is one of the bunkers that the soldiers would sleep in.

 

Our guide!

 

The whole path of the Chaco

  

The causalities  

We went to the area where the indigenous people live.  

 

We brought candy and clothing for the people and they all crowded around trying to get more and mroe.

  

Us with the indigenous people. 

 

The kids sang to us in Guarani. Many do not know how to speak Spanish because they do not go to school nor have parents that have ever been introduced to the language.

The area was very poor, many of the kids were without clean clothing, or shoes.

The most ironic part of this trip was that the second day in I too got Dengue!! I was extremely sick with a high fever, complete body pain and headache. That made the second day and bus ride home quite awful. All in all it was not the best trip ever, but it was better than just sitting home.

Primer ultimo día

Well yesterday I had my very last day of high school. Even though I already finished high school that was really the end of it all, the high school part but also, the Paraguay part as well. It started out just another day, of me not thinking about it and going through the motions, but then at lunch the reality of the situation kicked it. It didn’t faze me that it was ¨last day of high school¨ but, that this was the last time I would be with all the people together, ever. Because, yes I will see a few outside of school over the next few weeks but, it is not like I will ever have the relationship I have with them now once I go home. Which is slightly heart breaking, because these are some of the nicest and most welcoming people I have ever met. That’s when it hit me that this is all coming to an end, in a month. Though it is still surreal that it may not happen, because this is my life here and life back in USA isn’t actually there anymore just my life in Paraguay. That moment sitting at the table watching my friends yelling and swapping food with each other, made me realize that this is ending. My dad asked me over Skype the other day, ¨Was it worth it? ¨ I really stumbled over the answer and ending up changing the subject. But, when I think it through, that even though this trip hasn’t been anything close to perfect or a vacation in the least, it is coming to an end. This makes me see all the good that has come out of the whole experience. How being here has allowed me to grow a perspective as a person from the United States, but also as a Paraguayan, along with being able to let go of many things that were making my life much harder in the past and move on to the future. Also, I replied that ¨Maybe I should have gone to Panama¨ which had been my other country option. Thinking back on this response I just want to take it back. Because, even though Paraguay is not the perfect place and I could never see myself wanting to spend the rest of my life here I would never want to give up meeting the people that I have become friends with here. I could not even imagine not having these people in my life. And going to a different country would have done that. Also, though my Spanish is nowhere near perfect, when I was able to tour the city of Asuncion the other day with ten people from France that spoke no English but, a few spoke Spanish and I was able to speak to them in Spanish, it allowed me to realize that this is not only a necessity of life while living here. But, also how it opens so many doors to my life; between getting jobs and also allowing me to meet people I would never have been able to know because of a simple language barrier which is a great feeling. All in all, this trip has been worth it. Though not easy, it was and still is worth it.

mi día normal

Well I was stuck on this, "what should I blog about?" question. Then I realized how that anymore I am just living here. Which I think is a very under advertised thing you do as an exchange student. But, after having little less than two months left here I have realized my life here is just a schedule. Just like back home, because I have completely adapted to all of this. Though as a student going into a program you don't think that you will be in a routine. However, I have been trapped by it once again, so I decided I shall share my average day with you all. Though not too exciting, it is how my life is here almost every day.

      SO! I will describe my usual Friday, because it is one of the less head nodding days of my week.

My everyday has the obligatory wake up time at five fifty in the morning. This is in order to get in the bathroom before my sisters so that I can have at least five minutes before I get kicked out. Then I pack my lunch and we (my sister Saida and mom) get in the car for the average hour to hour and a half commute to school in the center of Asuncion. The ride is the most endorphins you will get in a life time every morning considering the amount of traffic laws broken, and animals hit. This picture above is the usual course of action to try to get ¨out¨of traffic for two seconds by driving in the shoulder of the road. To make a third unofficial lane... Yes its illegal, yes we were currently in that ¨lane.¨

 

see that BEAUTIFUL black cloud? yea thats the air pollution... great way to start the day.

 

On Fridays in my school there is an orientation with the whole school announcing things happening on the weekend or week to come. You see small children? That is because my school is K-12 just like most all of the schools here.

 

After orientation we are off to class! I have: science, math, politics, sociology, physiology, Spanish literature, English (I am so good at this class its CRAZY), PO (advanced math), and the best one PE where I get to serve volleyballs and everyone gets angry at me because I serve to well. I am currently on the volleyball team and debate team. School is good though not too exciting. I was resorting a lot to reading a book while in English class but the worst thing ever happened... my kindle broke… (So if anyone feels like donating towards Elizabeth’s new kindle fund let me know :p). The picture above is me and all my classmates! We all get along pretty well they are fun people. They are a lot more educated than the usual Paraguayan kid so it makes the conversations more interesting. 

 

After school on this particular Friday I invited some of my AFS friends to my house to get fatter and then go out. This is the getting fatter part.

 

we just hung out on my patio and talked for hours as usual.

However, on normal nights at eight o´clock we usually eat dinner together  as a ¨family¨ though it never really  turns into any good conversation, just eat and then go back to the TV.

 

This particular night some of us decided to go out to the club, which is a usual activity, for us on the weekends. We left my home around 9pm and I arrived back the next day at 8am. We do not do this every weekend because it takes days to catch up on sleep. This particular day we went to Pirata and we met a group of people passing though Paraguay there were ten people for Sweden, three people from Holland and one person from Korea and France. Though none of us could understand why they went to Paraguay it was great to talk to them and see the types of people that they are.

The funniest part of meeting foreigners in Paraguay is that they say simple accomplishments like, ¨oh yea we took the bus here¨ with complete pride and I am thinking ¨yea big deal?¨ but, then I remember the first day I was in Asuncion. I was looking at all the traffic and the busses completely terrified. And now I am some of the best business for these busses considering I use them to get ANYWHERE in Paraguay. It will be weird going back to Colorado and not have that type of knowledge. Not because I do not know where the buses are, but because the only reason I know how to anywhere here is because of the amount of times I have been completely and utterly lost. That is when you really learn how to get around a city. In the begging I would simply get on a bus and stay on until it stopped, just to see how far I could take it and where it passed. 

 

Dont just survive, be alive;

 “I cried because I had no shoes, then I met a man who had no feet.”

            You know how every so often you have those moments in life where you decide you will never take anything you have for granted? That moment where you see someone that has not eaten in days, or a ten year old girl carrying around a baby and she is pregnant, and you say I will never take all the fortune in my life for granted again? I had that moment twice the other day when I went on the bus to meet my friends. I am sitting listening to my iPod looking how dirty and gross my shoes were thinking that I need to by some new ones because they suck and how I have freakishly large feet and hands. And then the people on the bus start parting ways. I look down the bus to see nothing, and then I see this man and his wife laughing. The man is moving himself along with his hands because he was missing both of his legs. His hands were covered in dirt ,but he looks up at all the people and says ¨I´m sorry I don’t know what I am eating, but I just am not getting any taller!¨ with the biggest grin. As the bus halts and he climbs down the bus with his hands. I thought to myself wow. Tears filled my eyes by simply how beautiful that man has to be only by seconds of seeing him. That he can make life his own, he does not choose the easy way out. Once he left I reflected on how self centered I can be in my own life. And how there are many opportunities that I do not take advantage of, just because I do not feel like it.  But, unlike this man, I have two legs. Two more reasons to do twice the things that he can´t do in life. As I am in the middle of this process a man walks on the bus with a guitar. This is quite a normal event; they arrive sing and then collect money. But, this man was different, he was missing his hand. I looked around to see if this was my mind just messing with me, but all the other passengers had the same look of, ¨how many missing body parts are we going to see today?¨ this man starts playing guitar with one arm!  Strumming with his stump and singing to the music. These moments pass as do all. And it makes me think what I can do to be better and do better and live better. I have realized that at many points in our lives we are stagnant and just surviving. We are content with our routine and though not joyful we are complacent and not sad. I think as people of opportunity and intelligence we owe ourselves more, owe the world more. Don’t just survive be alive. Chase life. Because, who knows one day you could be that person that has been though life and realized you never lived it. 

Much to do about chipa

Much to do about chipa

Another HUGE activity in Semana Santa in Paraguay is making chipa! Chipa already in Paraguay is a HUGE part of the culture. They have the chiperos (the men and women who sell chipa on the streets everyday) that are always present, along with all the supermarkets filled with fresh chipa 24/7. The chipa making day is inspired by the no meat Friday, in general it is the entire Passover period, however here they generally just do it the last Friday with no meat. Therefore, while not eating meat they eat tons of chipa! My family is the only house out of all my family, that has the special oven to make the chipa so they all came to my home and made chipa. It was somewhat of a contest to see whose was better because they all have ¨secret¨ recipes. 

these people are everywhere the chiperos selling chipa about $0.50 for a chipa in the streets.

First part is mixing the pig fat so that it has a ¨delicious smell¨ (this never happened for me personally) the mixing takes about twenty minutes of fast churning with your hand.

then you mix the flour, eggs, seasonings, and corn flour into it.

once it has the perfect consistancy you kneed it until it is firm and shapable.

then you continue to try to make cool shapes that all fail and you just make circles because they are easy.

repping for PARAGUAY

after all the dough is formed you cook it in the oven

it all is placed into banana leaves to add flavor and prevent burning

then you sit around, eat chipa and drink terere with the whole family :)

Semana Santa

Well this week is Semaña Santa (all saints week) which is a big deal here in Paraguay. In most schools it was worth of a week off. The week was just normal as any other up until last night. The very religious people did the Stations of the Cross which were set up by most of the neighbors on the corner of each street, each station included two lit candles. The group of people all carried candles and as they walked sang a song. Each time they reached a station they would say a prayer, kneel, then be on their way to the next station. I do recall the stations of the crosses back in USA where they walk around the church; however I think the Paraguayan way wins considering you have the people personally involved and you get some exercise. It also pulls together the men, women and children.

 

The group completing the stations

our station

my little cousin Miha walking the stations with my grandmother

Attempting school…round three.

                Well today is the T – 99 day mark before departure to United States. I am not counting because I want to leave I am counting to make sure I can squeeze every last trip, experience and friendship in before I have to go. In order to make the most of my time I went against every teenage instinct I have and I decided I wanted to go to school.

                Going to school in Paraguay before my current school situation, is considered unsuccessful… in the least of the terms. It was a disaster. Wasting away hours, simply sitting in the classrooms: talking, eating and to be honest, doing every activity but, learning. So I took a slight leap to enter the school of my host sister Saida and go to a high end private school called Colegio Del Sol. I knew it would be different considered it is widely known throughout the country. However, it was a tough choice because it is an hour and a half commute every morning and it is from 8am to 3pm which is very uncommon in Paraguay, most of the schools end at noon. Therefore, my friends are all having fun without me. However, I decided this would allow my Spanish to progress immensely, along with make new Paraguayan friends.

                I entered the school on a Thursday, and just as the other Paraguayan schools I entered the classroom to find the boys on one side of the room and the girls on the other. Not because it is mandatory it is just the way of the students; they are all friends but they simply separate when the time for learning, quite strange. However, one thing that was lacking was the hideous clothing of all the students! This is a none-uniform school!  (In all honestly %50 of why I picked the school was no uniforms other %50 is because there is air conditioning.)

                I was instantly greeted by a flow of my classmates and questions, which are always fun. However, the best part of it all is not that I have fantastic classmates, an actual opportunity to learn, but that I can understand! Considering all the differences from the past schools to the present this was the biggest change. I am able to sit in class, take notes and answer questions in class. Being able to follow along in ALMOST any context and talk about life and goals with all my classmates, using complex worlds and full sentences. It is the best feeling in the world. Though I cannot say my Spanish is perfect, it is far from perfect; it has come so far and has opened up so many new doors in just these past days, I can only imagine what it will do in the future.

                But, though rite now all is fun and games between school and birthday parties with friends, me and all the other AFS students are being haunted by the return date. It is unimaginable what it will be like to go back. I personally think it will be harder to adjust in the states than it was here. Simply because of the mentality of the people that have not seen the things I have seen or experienced the things I am experiencing. Though, at the same time, it seems as if I will never leave, because this is my new life. The hardest part will be saying good bye to my friends because we have gone through all of these times together. Nevertheless, the time will come and my family will welcome me with open arms that I will fill. Because I miss them more than anything in the world. 

eating lunch with my classmates! not exactly my usual Chipolte off campus lunch.